Longtime Thompson Rivers University men’s basketball coach, Scott Clark, will be stepping away from the sidelines after this season to take on a new job with the university’s athletics department.

In a news release, the TRU WolfPack say Clark will take over as the WolfPack’s Manager of High Performance Sport on March 1, ending a 13 year run as the helm of the men’s basketball program.

“The demands of the job, as a head coach, are hard to meet at this time,” Clark said, in a news release. “Just evaluating things moving forward, I don’t have the energies to do the job the way I would like to do the job.”

In his new position, Clark will work closely with coaches, performance-staff, and student-athletes to help eliminate barriers to success and identify new resources to support team performance.

“I have great respect for Scott’s values, his work ethic, his integrity, and the selflessness with which he approaches the job,” TRU Athletic Director, Curtis Atkinson, said. “He is honest, treats people with respect, and cares about the success of those around him.”

“While I am going to miss him as our men’s basketball coach, I am excited to work closely together as he takes on this new role. I know WolfPack student-athletes, coaches, and staff will continue to benefit from his leadership and presence.”

The Kelowna native had a 98-126 regular season record going into the 2022-23 season, with an 8-12 record in Canada West playoffs. He was named Canada West Coach of the Year in 2015-16, when he led the Pack to the 2016 U Sports National Championships, where they lost in the quarter-final to the Carleton Ravens.

“I’m extremely proud of all the guys that I’ve been able to coach. I have former players that have gone on to be high school teachers, lawyers, surgeons, police officers, fire fighters, businessmen, coaches and athletic administrators,” Clark added.

“When you recruit kids they often say ‘oh I want to be a pro’, the truth is that all these guys that have played for me are pros. It’s satisfying to see that I have a lot of former players that have gone on to great things – and I’m not the reason for the success, but I hope that I can share in part of that.”

Prior to moving to TRU in 2010, Clark was head coach at Simon Fraser University for 15 years.

The WolfPack made no mention of a replacement or when it will begin the process to recruit a new men’s basketball coach.